8TH GRADE BLITZ 2.

Warm Up (5 minutes)
What is a theme of the article The Untouchable Mean Girls?

Remember, a theme is a subject or main point. Your theme should be in a complete sentence
think about a main topic of the article (love, school, etc.) and then write what the article or a
teach us about that topic.
New Information (5 minutes)
Organization/Text Structures in Nonfiction
Organization/Text
Structure
Description

Components
(Parts)

Purpose

Sequence

Problem/Solution

Cause/Effect

Compare/Contrast

The text structure can give you a clue to the authors purpose. For example, if the text struc
problem/solution format, then the author probably wants you to be part of the solution. If th
follows a compare/contrast format, then the author probably wants to help you make a decis
Text organization also includes the order of details, such as why an author chooses to begin
article/story a certain way. Keep this in mind for the next part.

8TH GRADE BLITZ 2.0

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

We DoGrab a Partner!
1. Think about the article The Untouchable Mean Girls. What text structure does it follo
that prove your answer.

2. Why might the author have chosen that structure to tell this story? (Hint: If you are stu
the main theme of this article and why you think the author wanted to tell us about it.)

3. Below, read the first line of the article and the last line of the article and answer the qu

First Line: Like a lot of kids her age, Phoebe Prince was a swan, always beautiful and sometimes aw
Last Line: They wanted an ocean between her and the people who hounded her to the grave.

a. What words stand out to you in the first sentence? How do those words make you feel

b. What words stand out to you in the last sentence? How do those words make you feel a
happened to Phoebe?

c. Why do you think the author chose to end the article with that sentence? What did he w
with?

8TH GRADE BLITZ 2.0

Independent Practice
1. In All Summer in a Day and The Untouchable Mean Girls, which people are alike? Why?

2. Do the author of the story and the author of the article share the same purpose in writing? Why or

3. Both the author of All Summer in a Day and The Untouchable Mean Girls would most likely con
_________________________________________________________________________. For example, in All Sum
author writes, ____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________ (quote). In The U
Girls, the author writes, _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________ (quote).

4. Both the story and the article end with a feeling of _________________________________________. For e
in a Day, the author writes, ____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________ (quote). In The U
Girls, the author writes, _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________ (quote).
5. Compare/contrast how the main characters in the story and article are treated and why.
Margot
Who mistreats her?
Why do they mistreat her?
What is the girls
reaction?
What makes this girl an
outsider?

Phoebe

8TH GRADE BLITZ 2.0

Exit Ticket (5 minutes)WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED, RIP THIS PAGE OFF AND GIVE IT
TO YOUR TEACHER
1. The author ends The Untouchable Mean Girls with a description of where Phoebe is
buried in order to
a. Discourage the audience from moving away from home
b. Draw attention to the fact that she hadnt gotten to see her father
c. Remind the audience that her bullies contributed to her death
d. Describe the beauty of Ireland
2. The author uses a descriptive structure for the beginning of The Untouchable Mean
Girls so that the audience
a. Understands who Phoebe was and how she was treated
b. Visualizes the high school Phoebe went to
c. Gets curious about what police are doing to solve the problem
d. Feels sympathy for the students at the school
3. The author of The Untouchable Mean Girls includes the anecdote (story) about the
interviewed student getting attacked in order to
a. Question whether the Mean Girls are actually the ones being bullied
b. Reveal the reason that the Mean Girls act the way they do
c. Remind the audience that this is how teenagers act
d. Show that the bullying happens to more people than just Phoebe
4. According to the information in The Untouchable Mean Girls, how is Phoebe similar to
Margot?
a. They are both well-known for causing trouble in their classes.
b. Neither one of them likes the weather in their new homes.
c. They come from far-off places and are not liked by their peers.
d. Neither one of them knows how to react to the culture of their school.
5. In what way do the endings of the story All Summer in a Day and the article The
Untouchable Mean Girls differ?
a. The story has a happy ending, while the article has a sad ending.
b. The story does not reveal what happens as a result of the bullying, while the article
does.
c. The story teaches a lesson, while the article is just for information.
d. The story reveals the consequences for the bullies actions, while the article does
not.
6. Do the bullies in either All Summer in a Day or The Untouchable Mean Girls receive
punishment in the story/article? Why not? Do you think this is typical for a school?

Whose responsibility is it to stand up for others? How can you help this to happen?

8TH GRADE BLITZ 2.0